THE ex-cop who led the Madeleine McCann investigation before being fired has blamed her parents for her disappearance as he claimed suspect Christian B is innocent.

       Shameless Goncalo Amaral has repeatedly made unfounded allegations that Gerry and Kate McCann killed their daughter - and has now insisted he believes the kidnapping was "only simulated".

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       Goncalo Amaral, who originally led the Madeleine McCann investigation, has claimed suspect Christian B is innocent Credit: PA:Press Association 4

       The ex-cop has once again blamed Madeleine's parents for her disappearance Credit: AFP

       The retired detective led the initial hunt when three-year-old Madeleine went missing from the Ocean Club holiday complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, and made her devastated parents official suspects.

       He was removed as head of the investigation after criticising British detectives and claiming they were only following leads the McCanns asked them to pursue.

       Amaral has remained outspoken on the case, and has now claimed prime suspect Christian B had "nothing to do with Maddie's disappearance" in an interview with BILD for the documentary, The Maddie McCann Case.

       "It wouldn't be the first time a case has been solved by constructing a suspect," he told the outlet.

       "The main culprits for the disappearance are those who had custody: the parents.

       "The German public prosecutor shouldn't keep saying that he has something against (Christian B) in his hand.

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       "Then accuse him! Take him to court! And explain to me how someone broke into the apartment without leaving fingerprints or gloves!"

       Amaral has also wildly claimed he believes the crime scene was faked.

       "To this day I have no doubt that a kidnapping was only simulated," he told BILD.

       "The signs of this: a window that no one could tell for sure whether it was open or closed. We were told that the alleged kidnapper climbed in and out of there.

       "There were fingerprints of the mother showing that she opened the window. They were the only ones that were found."

       But prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters has dismissed Amaral's claims, branding them "completely irrelevant".

       "We are not interested in the opinion of a Portuguese ex-police officer," he said.

       "We assume that he does not have our files.

       "Therefore, his conclusions are completely irrelevant."

       LEGAL BATTLE

       Amaral previously released a book three days after the case was closed in 2008 called The Truth Of The Lie in which he cruelly alleged the McCanns faked Maddie's abduction to cover their tracks after she had been accidentally killed.

       And he later took part in a documentary for Portuguese television in which he claimed that Madeleine was dead, there had been no abduction and the McCanns had hidden her body.

       Gerry and Kate launched a legal battle against the ex-cop for his slurs in book after losing a case on appeal.

       They lodged a fresh case at the European Court of Human Rights in 2017.

       It comes after shocking photos revealed the “secret cellar lair” suspect Christian B dug underneath his German home.

       Cops swooped on the rundown house in central Germany where the convicted paedophile had lived after the current tenant raised the alarm.

       Christian B had lived at the home on the outskirts of Braunschweig when he ran a kiosk in the city between 2013 and 2016.

       We are not interested in the opinion of a Portuguese ex-police officer. His conclusions are completely irrelevant.

       Hans Christian Wolters

       While living there he is said to have illegally dug a 10ft deep pit.

       It was reported last year a pal of Christian B’s had claimed he wanted to build a dungeon, complete with soundproof walls, “like the guy in Austria,” in a disturbing reference to the evil Josef Fritzl.

       There is no evidence though that he actually followed through with the idea.

       German officials are continuing to compile evidence against Christian B, who became the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance in June 2020.

       They believe the toddler was murdered.

       Christian B branded the investigation against him as “scandalous” in a letter penned from his cell in May.

       In the letter he claimed the public prosecutor had “brought shame to the legal system”.

       He has constantly refused to speak to the cops or investigators about Maddie’s disappearance.

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       Madeleine went missing during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007 Credit: AP 4

       German officials are compiling evidence against Christian B Credit: Rex

       Madeleine McCann cop Goncalo Amaral predicts German paedo linked to her disappearance may be a ‘scapegoat’